Apple JointVenture
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Hi all! I'm not sure if you have an environment where you have to manage Apple devices, but if you do (and you're not a Fortune 500 company - this is meant for the SMB space), I would HIGHLY recommend looking into Apple's JointVenture program.
I, myself, am not generally an Apple person in that I haven't had to support many Apple products, and I don't use them personally. However, my company has been doing more and more development work with iOS, which has been translating into more Mac and iOS usage on the network. As such, I found myself scrambling to be a better Mac Admin. Helping me on this journey has been the (somewhat) new program called JointVenture.
Essentially, it's a program that attempts to put Apple more front and center in a business by offering stellar support to those users who sign up for it. It cost about $80 per "system" per year. Each "system" can be comprised of a Mac (any device running OS X), Apple Cinema Display, iPhone, iPad, and iPod. once these devices are registered, you then become a first class citizen at the Apple Store. And by first class, I really mean FIRST CLASS. You get your own rep, you get to go ahead of EVERYONE waiting for a Mac Genius, you have access to a "private" schedule through their portal, and you get a 6% discount on all purchases. That discount also extends to employees (they love it).
It's a wonderful program and I highly recommend looking into if you support at least 5 Mac's (5 is the minimum to sign up for the program and you can add to that 1 by 1 as you grow your Apple devices).
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Oh that is awesome, I had no idea that this existed. Since we have executives using Macs in some cases, that is perfect. Especially as we only need it for selected, high profile people and not the general masses it would make very good financial sense. Thanks!
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@scottalanmiller My CEO absolutely LOVED the fact that they treated him like the CEO of Apple when he had to bring his iPhone in for something. There were around 20 people waiting to see a Mac Genius that day and he blasted right past them! He got a kick out of it. So now, when we buy a new Mac, getting a JointVenture license is a part of the purchase. There is also a portal where you can invite Apple-centric employees to so they can make their own appointments at the Apple Store.
OH! One other big thing. You also get a free training session on basically anything Apple for up to 8 of your employees! Most of it is fairly basic, but can be valuable to people who need to use Mac software who may not be too comfortable with it, from basic OS X usage to creating a great Keynote presentation.
Important note - this program does NOT replace AppleCare. Think of it as a "companion product" to AppleCare.
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Great info, definitely passing this post around the Grove Social staff.
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This is now filed in my good to know exists category! Thanks.
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Ok that is awesome. I will be taking a look at that.
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So what happens when all 20 of those people waiting in line have JointVenture?
Sounds like a nice plan right now.
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@Dashrender said:
So what happens when all 20 of those people waiting in line have JointVenture?
Sounds like a nice plan right now.
While, of course, that is possible, it's highly unlikely.
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@AVI-NetworkGuy said:
@Dashrender said:
So what happens when all 20 of those people waiting in line have JointVenture?
Sounds like a nice plan right now.
While, of course, that is possible, it's highly unlikely.
Maybe, the reason I don't find it so unlikely is that the people who are buying a MAC already don't care about how much they spend on equipment, so slapping another $80 a year for this type of support would probably be next to nothing to them. Of course I'm only referring to Mac Book Pros, desktops, etc.. not iPads (maybe they would want it for the iPhone though).
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@Dashrender said:
@AVI-NetworkGuy said:
@Dashrender said:
So what happens when all 20 of those people waiting in line have JointVenture?
Sounds like a nice plan right now.
While, of course, that is possible, it's highly unlikely.
Maybe, the reason I don't find it so unlikely is that the people who are buying a MAC already don't care about how much they spend on equipment, so slapping another $80 a year for this type of support would probably be next to nothing to them. Of course I'm only referring to Mac Book Pros, desktops, etc.. not iPads (maybe they would want it for the iPhone though).
You have to verify that you're a business. little Natalie who got an iPad for Christmas can't sign up for this. You also need to buy a minimum of 5 licenses to get started, so what you just said isn't really how this happens. So, like I said earlier - unlikely. lol
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@AVI-NetworkGuy said:
@Dashrender said:
@AVI-NetworkGuy said:
@Dashrender said:
So what happens when all 20 of those people waiting in line have JointVenture?
Sounds like a nice plan right now.
While, of course, that is possible, it's highly unlikely.
Maybe, the reason I don't find it so unlikely is that the people who are buying a MAC already don't care about how much they spend on equipment, so slapping another $80 a year for this type of support would probably be next to nothing to them. Of course I'm only referring to Mac Book Pros, desktops, etc.. not iPads (maybe they would want it for the iPhone though).
You have to verify that you're a business. little Natalie who got an iPad for Christmas can't sign up for this. You also need to buy a minimum of 5 licenses to get started, so what you just said isn't really how this happens.
Awww.. missed that requirement.
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This is a very cool option. I can see a lot of companies really appreciating that.
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Will be doing a review on this and proposing it to my boss
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@AVI-NetworkGuy +1 on JV.
I have been using Apple JV for the past 5 years when they began making more of a push into corporations. At $100/user/year it's not insignificant, but I have found on many occasions scheduling a support call and h/w support to be well worth it.
Another benefit is loaner laptop if you have to leave yours with the Genius.
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That is actually really worth it to me. Worth having that support when needed. Yes I have NTG staff for some support but if something breaks, off to the Apple Store I go!
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@SeanExablox said:
@AVI-NetworkGuy +1 on JV.
I have been using Apple JV for the past 5 years when they began making more of a push into corporations. At $100/user/year it's not insignificant, but I have found on many occasions scheduling a support call and h/w support to be well worth it.
Another benefit is loaner laptop if you have to leave yours with the Genius.
That's right! I forgot about the loaner benefit. That came in handy for us the other day when I had bring an iMac in for a repair.
